The world’s largest adventure travel company, G Adventures is known for it’s meaningful and memorable real world trips. But did you know that G Adventures all started with a very inspired young man named Bruce Poon Tip? After returning from a backpacking tour of Asia in 1990, Bruce was driven to share his passion for experiencing adventures in an authentic and sustainable manner with others. With nothing more than his own personal credit cards, G Adventures was born. Here Bruce shares his messages with us on responsible travel – a foundation that his company is firmly built on. It’s a thought-provoking read about the way we all travel – plus we have a great giveaway for you too!
‘Responsible travel’ is a term frequently thrown around by the travel industry. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it important?
There’s been a lot of confusion over the overuse of terms such as ‘responsible travel’, ‘sustainable travel’ and ‘green travel’ over the years, and a lot of companies’ greenwashing their products and services to jump on the bandwagon. For me, responsible travel comes down to travel which benefits not only the traveller, but also the people of that country. It’s travelling with a conscience. Basically what travellers and travel companies need to do is create more positive impacts than negative impacts – this is so important because this way the destinations we love can be secured for the future and enjoyed by generations to come.
What has been one of your best experiences in relation to responsible travel?
G Adventures has been partnering with a man named Delfin in the Amazon jungle since the inception of the company, which is close to 25 years ago. Delfin was my first business partner and he is an amazing man who has very strong ties to ‘Pacha Mama’ or Mother Earth. Over the years, thousands of G Adventures travellers have visited Delfin and his family and been warmly welcomed into his village. In business these days, there are very few relationships that will survive such a length of time, and I am proud to still call Delfin a friend.
For me, G Adventures’ history is inextricably linked with Delfin, so when I launched my book Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business late last year, I knew that I needed to have Delfin with me. Although Delfin speaks very little English and brought a translator with him, he had the audience captivated by his story and the fact that his is one of the few remaining tribes in his section of the Amazon rainforest. It was humbling to know that through partnering with G Adventures and allowing our travellers a glimpse into his traditional world, Delfin has managed to not only provide for his family, but also to spread his love and respect for Pacha Mama to thousands of travellers.
You also founded the Planeterra Foundation in 2003, specifically to give back to the people and places that G Adventures visits. Can you tell us more about how that works?
G Adventures, through our non-profit organization Planeterra, supports over 30 projects globally. These range from promoting sustainable farming practices in Rwanda, to providing vocational training and work experience in Cambodia. We’ve been working with local people in communities around the world to create sustainable projects since 2003. At the very heart of G Adventures there is a desire to give back to the people and the countries that we visit, and leave the world a little more perfect.
G Adventures is proudly built on a responsible travel model. How does this translate into local experiences when you join a G Adventures trip?
Everyone travels to see and do amazing things and experience the natural and cultural wonders of the world around us. If they are polluted, overcrowded or run down no one will want to visit and then no one benefits.
We are always looking for ways to reduce our impacts on the area and keep destinations healthy. This means our travellers on G Adventures trips will stay in local home stays or locally run hotels. They’ll take local transport and eat at locally owned restaurants. We try to incorporate Planeterra projects into as many trips as we possibly can as well, so travellers can really experience the place they are visiting. But our business is about creating happiness and community. Happiness drives performance, allows us to maintain a global company culture that delivers on a very aggressive brand promise that differentiates itself based on our purpose driven business model.
What are your best tips for travellers to make responsible travel choices?
The best thing that people can do when booking their travel is to ask questions of their operator, airline or hotel. Questions such as ‘How much of the money I pay for this holiday will stay in the local community?’ or ‘What is your company doing to reduce your impact on the environment?’ are great places to start. For example, according to the United National Environment Programme (UNEP), out of every $100 spent in all-inclusive resorts, only $5 of that remains in the local economy. As the consumer, you have the right to ask questions and decide which types of companies you would like to support with your hard-earned cash. I always say that travel is the greatest form of wealth distribution in the world, and your travel preferences are the biggest impact that you can make in the lives of people in the countries that you visit.
You started your company when you were just 22 years old with 2 credit cards and a desire to create an authentic, sustainable travel experience like nothing the world had ever seen! Has your dream come true? In many years, when you reflect back on this time, what legacy do you hope to leave?
While I’m very proud of the things we’ve achieved as a company over the past 24 years, anyone who knows me knows that I’m never satisfied! I’m always looking for ways to make the company better, drive us forward and create real change in the world.
If I can leave any legacy I hope it will be an ingrained culture of sustainable travel where all consumers are aware of the need to travel responsibly and actively seek out sustainable travel options. It’s also now our goal to spread passion, purpose and happiness the world over. We’re so much more than just a travel company. We’ve grown to transcend our industry and become a social enterprise that has added passion and purpose to the traditional triple bottom line of planet, people and profit. The competitive landscape changes and there are more companies doing so, and while they work hard to catch up we want to be looking at them through the rearview mirror.
Our best work is still ahead of us, so for us it is about what we’ve yet to do rather that what we’ve done. With all that said I never really think legacy. I don’t want to be remembered. If I start thinking that way it will be the beginning of the end.
You’re forever trying new things – so, what’s next for G Adventures?
As an entrepreneur, I’m constantly innovating and searching for the next big thing. Over the past few years we’ve led the industry though initiatives such as Lifetime Deposits (Can’t travel for any reason and need to cancel your tour? Your deposit is good for life), 100% guaranteed departures (Once you’re booked, you’re going) and 24/7 customer service.
We reinvented the idea of community tourism with our local living programs last year, which was one of our proudest moments. I think our tours in Australia have been particularly innovative. It was easy for us to think differently because the market was cluttered with operators all doing the same thing. We have some more exciting initiatives in the pipeline, but I can’t mention them just yet! We are customer obsessed at G Adventures and we’ll continue to find new ways to innovate and lead with service.
And PWG’s 5 QUICK QUESTIONS for Bruce…
1. I can’t travel without…my iPhone. I wrote a large chunk of Looptail on my iPhone while waiting in customs lines and in airports!
2. The one place everyone needs to go is…Ecuador. It’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world that is still relatively off the beaten track for some travellers.
3. The best way to research a trip is…by visiting gadventures.com.au or getting on social media! There are so many great travel bloggers out there, including our Wanderers in Residence who post so much amazing travel content and info.
4. My travel philosophy is…go!
5. Still on my must-see list is…Newfoundland, Canada, New Orleans and the Trans-Siberian Railway.
What do you think about responsible travel? Drop us a line in the comments below to have your say!
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